Sporting some hot Ermenegildo Zegna shoes, chef Grant Achatz (with his lovely girlfriend, Heather) heckled me as I tried to ask him some very serious questions:
Q: What if I told you part of your presentation was that you had to dance across the stage with Kate Gosselin?
A: :::::crickets::::: (eyes rolling)
Q: What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to food?
A: Ice cream. Any flavor.
Q: What superhero power do you want most?
A: (answered by his girlfriend) X-Ray vision!!!!!!
Q: What did you have for breakfast?
A: Juice and pizza from room service.
Q: What's your favorite swear word?
A: Carol, I don't swear. (At this his colleague, friend, and business partner Nick Kokonas busted out laughing. For a good five minutes.)
Q: When can I come have drinks at Aviary?
A: Soon...very soon.

Early observations of Awards: Sam Mason is the tallest in the chef lineup and definitely the most handsome. Daniel Boulud ran into the show at the last minute, and Tom Colicchio dashed in with his beautiful wife at last minute, too!

So with the UFO, the Star Wars theme, and some galactic backgrounds in the program, I think this year's space aesthetic is 100 percent awesome. Sadly, no Tang or freeze-dried ice cream in sight.
-Snacktime